Harvard shocked by Canada’s rejection of Ignatieff

[crazy canuck]

The same sort of ads would have worked, had he been an academic at U of T all those years.

I disagree.  As much as we all love to hate Toronto it would have had no impact at all.  He was someone that had spent a large amount of his professional career outside the Country.  We have a long history of academics within Canada turning to politics at both the Federal and Provincial levels.  I dont know why someone from the U of T would have been any different.

[KRonn]

I agree with CC's analysis.  It wasn't an anti-intellectual message, it was an Anti-American (or at least, not Canadian) message.

Remember Dion was an academic as well, and that was never used against him.

Anti-American!      Now I'm mad! No more visits to Canada for me!!   

[crazy canuck]

I agree with CC's analysis.  It wasn't an anti-intellectual message, it was an Anti-American (or at least, not Canadian) message.

Remember Dion was an academic as well, and that was never used against him.

Anti-American!      Now I'm mad! No more visits to Canada for me!!   

How popular would someone be if they ran for President but spent most of their professional career as a professor at the University of Toronto?

[BuddhaRhubarb]

All my relatives back east (Ontario/New Brunswick) totally bought those "blood soaked" anti Iggy ads like they were the gospel delivered from St. Peter himself. IMHO though he lost for manyof the reasons people quote in this thread. The Libs had no real policies that anyone could grab onto and say, now this is what I want from my leaders. It's almost like they threw all their seats, to my mind anyway. I never heard anything that would make me vote Liberal, anymore than I would have Conservative. Same steaming pile of dog doo, but in a less interestingly shaped pile than the conservative one.

I've not once ever thought Iggy had a shot at it. Not realistically. Of course I didn't think he'd decimate the party so thoroughly. I think it's going to take a few elections for the Libs to get any mojo again if they ever do.

[Malthus]

The same sort of ads would have worked, had he been an academic at U of T all those years.

I disagree.  As much as we all love to hate Toronto it would have had no impact at all.  He was someone that had spent a large amount of his professional career outside the Country.  We have a long history of academics within Canada turning to politics at both the Federal and Provincial levels.  I dont know why someone from the U of T would have been any different.

Because, without an air of reality about the ads, they would not have bite or traction. In fact, without bite, they subject the maker to ridicule and can even boost the target. Remember those Con attack ads depicting Cretien as a moron because his face sags? He made hay with that, because the key to Cretien was that he was a old-time party infighter, not a moron. The ads lacked teeth.

If Iggy had come back from Harvard filled with a burning vision of a liberal society, and the charisma to transmit this vision to his constituents, show them how his vision could inspire and recreate their communities, and worked with them to (say) improve the Bloor Street business improvement area or whatever  ... those Con ads would have flubbed, badly.

The ads worked because they had an air of reality. Iggy *did* appear to be an opportunist. It isn't the fact that he's an academic, or a long-time Yank dweller - it is the fact he does not appear committed.

[Caliga]

How popular would someone be if they ran for President but spent most of their professional career as a professor at the University of Toronto?

Dunno about President, but they could get elected Senator from New York with no problem.

[viper37]

I agree with CC's analysis.  It wasn't an anti-intellectual message, it was an Anti-American (or at least, not Canadian) message.

Remember Dion was an academic as well, and that was never used against him.

Anti-American!      Now I'm mad! No more visits to Canada for me!!   

You can still visit Quebec, Canadian or American, it's all the same to us

[KRonn]

I agree with CC's analysis.  It wasn't an anti-intellectual message, it was an Anti-American (or at least, not Canadian) message.

Remember Dion was an academic as well, and that was never used against him.

Anti-American!      Now I'm mad! No more visits to Canada for me!!   

You can still visit Quebec, Canadian or American, it's all the same to us

I'll still visit Quebec, but not Canada!!   

[Monoriu]

Reading the thread title, I thought it was an onion article 

[The Minsky Moment]

What the good folks at Harvard are forgetting is that all politics are local.

Which is kind of amazing as Cambridge happens to be in Tip O'Neill's old district.

[dps]

I agree with CC's analysis.  It wasn't an anti-intellectual message, it was an Anti-American (or at least, not Canadian) message.

Remember Dion was an academic as well, and that was never used against him.

Anti-American!      Now I'm mad! No more visits to Canada for me!!   

How popular would someone be if they ran for President but spent most of their professional career as a professor at the University of Toronto?

James Buchanan was nominated for President by the Democratic party precisely because he had spent most of his adult life overseas (as a diplomat, not a professor), and thus had missed much of the deeply divisive domestic disputes of the time.  Of course, "the time" was over a century and a half ago, so I don't know how that would go down now.

[Neil]

James Buchanan was nominated for President by the Democratic party precisely because he had spent most of his adult life overseas (as a diplomat, not a professor), and thus had missed much of the deeply divisive domestic disputes of the time.  Of course, "the time" was over a century and a half ago, so I don't know how that would go down now.

And his example is what taught everybody else why they shouldn't do that.

[Admiral Yi]

Turns out Havard is agast that Canadians wouldnt elect one of their own.

Makes for a fun thread I guess, but don't see where you got that from in the article.

[Razgovory]

Turns out Havard is agast that Canadians wouldnt elect one of their own.

He still a mod over at Pdox?

[BuddhaRhubarb]

The same sort of ads would have worked, had he been an academic at U of T all those years.

I disagree.  As much as we all love to hate Toronto it would have had no impact at all.  He was someone that had spent a large amount of his professional career outside the Country.  We have a long history of academics within Canada turning to politics at both the Federal and Provincial levels.  I dont know why someone from the U of T would have been any different.

Because, without an air of reality about the ads, they would not have bite or traction. In fact, without bite, they subject the maker to ridicule and can even boost the target. Remember those Con attack ads depicting Cretien as a moron because his face sags? He made hay with that, because the key to Cretien was that he was a old-time party infighter, not a moron. The ads lacked teeth.

If Iggy had come back from Harvard filled with a burning vision of a liberal society, and the charisma to transmit this vision to his constituents, show them how his vision could inspire and recreate their communities, and worked with them to (say) improve the Bloor Street business improvement area or whatever  ... those Con ads would have flubbed, badly.

The ads worked because they had an air of reality. Iggy *did* appear to be an opportunist. It isn't the fact that he's an academic, or a long-time Yank dweller - it is the fact he does not appear committed.

what you say is true enough... though I think you are overestimating the brainpower of those who did take the ads seriously.  Anybody who is anything but offended by  the "blood soaked" look of them needs to take their head out of their ass.

It's the look, production of the ads that did all the actual work. Not the fact that yes he was an opportunist.